Match

This page describes the controls, process and tactical advice for playing a match including: match progress; Batting; Bowling and Highlights.

Camera Controls

The cameras in highlights can be controlled with the following controls.

· When viewing highlights, select the camera icon to change between different cameras.

· When the fixed camera is active, additional controls are available.

· The left and right arrows can be used to move between the 10 different fixed cameras

· The up and down arrows can be used to zoom in and out.

You can also control these cameras with the following keyboard controls:

· Left CTRL key can be used to move between the different cameras

· When the fixed camera is active, additional controls are available.

· The left and right arrow keys can be used to move between the different fixed cameras.

· The up and down arrow keys can be used to zoom in and out.

MATCH PROGRESS:

You can use the tabs at the top of the scorecard to choose between viewing the Batting Card, Bowling Card, or Match Summary.

Select “Play Over” or press the Space Bar to continue the game. If you wish to play the over ball-by-ball, then select the Next Ball button.

You can press the “Space bar” or select any part of the screen to exit a highlight at any time.

To play multiple overs without the need for further button presses select the ‘Auto Play’ button. This will play continuous overs until a time that further player input is required, such as the fall of a wicket, a change of bowler, or the bowler’s stamina has run out. Note that ‘Auto Play’ automatically switches off at the end of an over in which a highlight has been triggered. As a result the Auto Play feature will not function when the highlight level is set to every ball.

If you have selected any form of highlights, the screen will change to an animated representation of the over, showing the highlight levels that you previously selected. If you chose to view no highlights, then the results of the over will appear instantly.

Next to the Commentary list is a window that can be filtered between Ball-Tracker, a run-rate graph or an overs list.

Move your cursor over the batsman or bowler names to display their average and strike rate for the match type being played.

Move your cursor over the field below the batsman to see his batting preferences.

BATTING

Chose how quickly you want to score by selecting the “Defensive/Attacking” bar located on the right of each batsman’s controls. Generally, high aggression will result in a higher scoring rate but the more aggressive you are the greater the risk of conceding your wicket. Batsmen who are overly aggressive before they are settled are especially prone to losing their wicket. Your batsmen will be at their best on three notches aggression, when they will play to their natural game.

Settled

The bar below the “Defensive/Attacking” bar indicates how settled a batsman is. As the batsman becomes more comfortable at the crease this bar will fill up from red, through yellow, to green.

Tiredness

After a long session batting, batsman can become tired, may lose concentration and could be more likely to make a mistake.

Keep Strike

To protect lower order batsmen from the strike, select the bat icon. Note: this will also result in fewer singles being taken.

Lock Batsman

By default your batsmen’s aggression is the same against both current bowlers. In certain cases you might want to set this independently, to take advantage of a weaker bowler, for example. Select the chain icon to open the links. Now you can change the aggression independently for the current bowler. When required, select again to close the links and apply aggression to both bowlers.

Match/Player Analysis

To get an analysis of a player’s performance select the player’s name in the Batting or Bowling card.

Alternatively, select one of the analysis buttons from the Match Screen menu
to view the performance of your
selected team.

Edit Batting Order

When a new batsman is due to come in, you may select a different batsman than the one currently selected. To do this, scroll through the remaining batsmen until you find the batsman you want. The batting preference line and career average and strike/rate for the match type being played will help you decide on the new batsman.

You can also change the openers between innings with the Select Openers button from the Interval screen.

Following on (First Class and Test Matches only)

If your opponents have a first innings deficit of 200 runs or more in a test match (150 runs in a four day match), you will be invited to enforce the follow on.

Tip: As there are clear advantages to the team issuing the invitation, it is generally recommended you answer Yes when prompted, although there are situations in which you may want to give your bowlers a rest or take advantage of a wearing pitch at the end of a match.

Declaration (First Class and Test Matches only)

Select the Declare button when you think you have scored enough runs (in a First Class match) and you wish to declare the innings closed.

You can also declare at the start of an interval. This will avoid wasting time changing innings.

New Ball (First Class and Test Matches only)

The new ball will be available to the bowling side after 80 overs.

Tip: Don’t forget to ensure that you have a fully fit fast bowler ready to use the new ball as this gives a greater chance of taking a wicket.

Power Play (One Day and 20 Over Matches only)

After the initial fielding restrictions have completed in a one day match, the bowling side must chose a further block of overs of fielding restrictions. The power-play button will be displayed when this option is available.

Breaks

The game will pause for lunch, tea-breaks and bad weather, close of play and whenever there is a change of innings.
At this point you will see the match summary screen. This will also enable you to view the scores in other matches if they are being played. Select other matches through the fixtures at the top of the screen.

Select the innings of a match to see the scorecard.

Batting Tactics

• In county and test matches you should have your batsmen on two aggression bars until they are 30% settled and then move up to three. If a bad bowler comes on move up to 4. If a good bowler is taking lots of wickets be more defensive.
• In one day matches try to score at about 4.5 to 5 per over for the first 10 overs (or faster if you’re chasing
a big target), while the fields are restricted. However, the computer will use its best bowlers, so sometimes it is a good idea to put lesser batsmen in so that you don’t lose important wickets early in the innings.
• In twenty over matches you need
to be aggressive from the start.
Use seven notches to “settle” the batsmen, before moving to maximum aggression. You might need to defend for a couple of overs if you lose quick wickets to avoid a collapse.
• When batting second in one day matches, try to keep up with the
run rate all the way through the innings. Don’t use maximum batting aggression unless you have lots of wickets to play with. Take note of bad or expensive bowlers and use extra aggression against them.
• Look at the weather forecast. If conditions are very cloudy but will improve later, bat defensively until they change. If it will be very cloudy or raining for the first day, put the opposition in to bat. In all other situations it is a good idea to bat first.
• If the other team scores 600 in their first innings you are unlikely to win. Give it a go until you lose a couple of wickets and then shut up shop completely (play defensively) to get the draw. Try to get the maximum batting points as well.
• Generally all batsmen perform at their best on 3 aggression bars, but should bat more defensively while getting settled, and with greater aggression against bad bowlers. The batsman’s own aggression rating refers to the scoring rate of the batsman if they are on three aggression bars. 
A naturally aggressive batsman will score at a strike rate of 50% or above in county matches, while naturally defensive batsmen will score some way below this if they are both on 3 aggression bar notches. It is important to bear this in mind when selecting one-day sides, because an aggressive batsman will find it easier to score at the required run rate even if they are a generally poorer player. It’s also useful to have an attacking batsman in at number 7 in county matches because they can score their runs before running out of partners.
• You may notice that there are some players who do just as well in one-day games (or even better) as they do in county matches. Some players are naturally gifted in one-day matches but less so in first class (and vice- versa).
• Player will generally not do well batting at more than four notches from the start in a county game. This aggression should really just be used when batting against very bad bowlers, attempting a desperate run chase or if making runs before the bonus calculation overs are up in county games.
• If a bowler is using an aggressive field against you, it is sometimes worth taking the risk to score some quick runs to get your batsman settled. The bowler may then adopt a more defensive approach, allowing your batsman to score more freely. The bowler will rarely defend, however, if you are batting to save a draw in a first-class match.
• If you have a batsman keeping strike make sure they are aggressive or you just end up missing singles. The other batsmen should be on 1 or 2 bars of aggression so that they can score singles and get off the strike. Only do this for the first 3 balls of the last over if you are playing “Ball-by-Ball” in a close match.

BOWLING

If you bowl first then the bowling controls will appear to the right of the screen.

The name of the opening bowler you chose during Team Selection will appear at the top of the bowling controls.

If you wish to change the bowler at this or any other point in the game, select the “Change” button next to the name to bring up your team, and then select a new bowler. Select the name of the bowler you wish to select. The new bowler will now appear at the top of the bowling controls.

Bowling – Attacking and Defensive Levels

You can adjust the attacking/defensive level of your bowlers by selecting notches on the bar to the right of the panel under each batsman’s name. The more attacking a bowler is the more likely he is to take a wicket, but he will also be more prone to conceding runs. Bowlers
set to a very aggressive attacking level will lose stamina more quickly. “Attacking” and “Defensive” levels are set independently for each batsman at the crease. The default level is set to normal for each new batsman.

Bowling – Stamina and Settled

A bowler’s stamina rating is represented by the green and orange bar on the bowling panel. The bar
will decrease as the bowler loses stamina.

Note that bowlers become more settled with longer spells. A bowler’s stamina is affected by the weather and whether or not he has been bowling very aggressively.

Tired bowlers will have less chance of taking a wicket, just as a settled bowler will have a greater chance of taking a wicket.

Bowling - Setting
a Line and Length

To set a line and length for a bowler, locate the stumps on the bowling panel and then select the area where you wish to pitch the ball. To set a line, move the ball to the line you wish to adopt: outside the off stump is considered defensive, middle and leg is the most attacking setting. To go over or around the wicket, move the arrow to the left
or to the right. Note: in one-day games fielding restrictions apply.

Setting a Field:

Select the field below the batsman's name and open the in-game help for advice on fields.

Bowling Tactics:

· Fast bowlers get an advantage with the new ball.

· Spin bowlers will generally not take many wickets until the ball is about 15 overs old.

· Take note of the effect of conditions on bowlers. An ordinary medium pacer can become dangerous on a very cloudy day.

· Bowlers in county matches will perform at their best on medium aggression and balanced field setting.

· Use the defensive field settings if a batsman has a big score or you are going for a draw. Use the attacking field settings if you’ve got plenty of runs to play with but not much time.

· Attack new batsmen before they are settled by setting bowlers aggression close to the max.

· If you can tie a batting team down
in one-day games they will get more aggressive and get themselves out. Bowl outside off stump and use defensive fields. If you don’t take wickets it’s often worth taking the risk to be more aggressive to slow down your opponent’s scoring rate. The opposition is more aggressive the more wickets they have left.

· If you are in a very strong position, declare an hour before the close of play in order to give your main strike bowlers an extra spell.

Highlights:

Action Replays:

To replay any ball from the over, locate the text commentary box
and then select the ball you wish to see replayed. You can also replay a fallen wicket by selecting the bowling card and selecting the wicket in the FoW section.

Highlight Levels:

One of the first things to decide is what level of Highlights you wish to see. To do this select the highlights level option accessible via the button at the bottom left hand corner of the Match Screen and then select the highlights level you would like to see. The parameters range from “None” to “Every Ball” (although the latter could result in a rather long game). If you select one of the “c” (chances) options, this will display every edged or uppish shot; all LBW appeals, drops, catches and, of course, wickets falling. Selecting “None” will mean the match proceeds in text only mode.

• “High (r + w/c)”, displays every run scored, wicket or chance.
• “Medium (4 + w/c)”, displays 4s, 6s, wickets, chances and milestones.
• “Low (chances)”, displays wickets and chances.
• “Wickets only”, displays wickets only.

Explanation of Symbols

The commentary text uses the following symbols:

! = Near Miss

b = Byes

. = Dot ball

x = Wide, or no ball, the latter with number of runs scored from it.

PLAYING CONDITIONS:

ICONS

In the lower right of the screen you
will see a set of icons reflecting match conditions. From left to right these are: weather, light, bounce, wear, outfield and age of ball (this is replaced to show overs remaining of field restrictions in one day games). The red dots indicate degrees of adversity, so when there are, say, four red dots on the outfield icon, this will indicate that the outfield is slow. Or when there are, say, no red dots on the bounce icon, then this will indicate the bounce is true.

The following are various permutations of playing and weather conditions, together with their effects. Pitch bounce and wear will deteriorate as the match progresses.

BOUNCE

Perfect: Favours batsman.

Even: Slight advantage for batsmen.

Average: No advantage for batsmen or bowlers.

Uneven: Favours fast bowlers.

Erratic: Mainly favours fast bowlers, but all bowlers will gain some advantage.

WEAR

Very Good: Favours batsman.

Good: Slight advantage for batsmen.

Average: No advantage for either batsmen or bowlers

Turning: Advantage for spin bowlers

Sharp Turn: Big advantages for spin bowlers

WEATHER

Sunny/Clear: Adversely effects stamina of fast bowlers. Seamers will take fewer wickets.

Unsettled: Neutral.

Cloudy: Slight advantage for seam bowlers.

Very Cloudy: Increased advantage for seam bowlers

LIGHT

When four lights are lit on the meter then the umpires may suspend play for bad-light (First Class matches only), although this chance is reduced if slower bowlers are operative at the time.

Tips:

Unlike many games, your computer opponent does not cheat, though Cricket Captain presents a tough challenge to most captains. Persevere and take heed of the some of the tips that follow, and success could be yours.

SAVE GAME

The game is designed to AutoSave, but you can also save during a match by selecting the “Save & Exit” button accessible via the Match Screen menu button at bottom left of the screen. You save and exit between matches from the Main Menu, by selecting the ‘Save & Exit’ button on the left. Selecting save or save & exit will also save your game to Dropbox (AutoSave will not save to Dropbox).